Reichenthal Wastewater Treatment Plant, Oberösterreich, Austria

The Reichenthal wastewater treatment plant is located in the municipality of Reichenthal, in the Bezirk Urfahr-Umgebung district of Oberösterreich, Austria. It serves a population of approximately 1,368 residents, classifying it as a small agglomeration under Austrian and EU wastewater regulations. The plant employs advanced treatment processes, which go beyond the secondary treatment standard required by the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) for smaller agglomerations. Its designed capacity is 2,200 cubic meters per day, and it currently discharges an average of 502.03 cubic meters daily, indicating ample reserve capacity. The treated effluent is discharged into local watercourses that ultimately drain into the Danube River basin. The plant plays a key role in protecting the region's water quality, supporting both local ecosystems and downstream communities that rely on the Danube for drinking water, recreation, and agriculture.

The plant's discharge enters small streams in the Feldaist catchment, which flows into the Danube River near Linz. The Danube is a major European waterway supporting diverse aquatic life, including migratory fish species. The advanced treatment helps reduce nutrient loads, protecting the Danube's ecological health and preventing eutrophication in downstream reservoirs and the Black Sea.